Stock winding apparatus



JAB- 28, 1969 J, LYQNS 3,424,3Eg

STOCK WINDING APPARATUS Filed May 1, 1967 Sheet of 2 INVENTOR A Jae 1v 4 ya/vs NEYS ' Jan. 284, 1969 J. LYONS STOCK WINDING APPARATUS Filed y 1, 1967 Sheet 2 fz i5, 42 am 3 INVENTOR dhw lyo/vs ATTO NEYS United States Patent 3,424,389 STOCK WINDING APPARATUS John Lyons, Scituate, Mass., assignor to Buzzards Corp., Marion, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 1, 1967, Ser. No. 635,083 US. Cl. 242-25 Int. Cl. B65h 57/12, 57/28 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a stock guide for guiding the stock in a winding machine. More particularly, the invention relates to a guide for guiding continuous flexible stock such as wire to a windup spool in a winding machine.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stock guiding device in a winding machine. The stock guiding device of the present invention guides a continuous flexible wire to a windup spool of a winding machine without undue stress or strain on the wire and with efficiency, effectiveness and reliability.

In accordance with the present invention, a guide device for guiding continuous flexible stock to a windup object comprises a support arm pivotally mounted at one end on a carriage of the winding machine which is spaced from the windup object and is movably mounted for reciprocal rectilinear movement between a pair of spaced determined limit points. The support arm extends a determined distance from the carriage and substantially perpendicularly to the directions of movement of the carriage. A support plate is aflixed to the support arm at the other end thereof. A stock tensioning device is afiixed to the support plate for adjustably tensioning the stock. A counterbalanced finger assembly is adjustably mounted on the support plate in spaced adjustable relation to the windup object for guiding the stock to said object.

In order that the present invention may be readily carried into effect, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of a winding machine including an embodiment of the stock guide device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the stock guide device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the stock guide device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view, partly in section, of the pivotal mounting device for pivotally mounting the first and second branch members of the stock guide device on the support plate;

FIG. 5 is a top view of an embodiment of the finger member of the stock guide device of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken along the line VI-VI, of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the line VIIVII, of FIG. 5.

In FIG. 1, a winding machine feeds continuous flex- 3,424,389 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 ible stock such as, for example, electrically conductive Wire 11, to an object or windup spool 12. The winding machine includes the rotatably mounted windup spool 12 and a carriage 13 spaced from said spool and movably mounted, by any suitable means, for reciprocal rectilinear movement between a pair of spaced predetermined limit points 14 and 15. A suitable carriage mounting means may comprise a cam-controlled driving arrangement, including cams mounted on the underside of cam housings 16 and 17, for moving the carriage 13, as desired, in directions parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spool 12, for determined axial distances.

The winding machine of FIG. 1 includes a guide for guiding the wire 11 to the spool 12. In accordance with the present invention, the guide comprises a support arm 18 pivotally mounted at one end 19 on the carriage 13. The support arm 18 is pivotally mounted by a pivot device 21 for rotation about its pivot axis 22 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spool 12. Support arm 18 is adjustably secured within pivot device 21 by means of bolt means 18a.

The support arm 18 extends a determined distance from the carriage 13 and substantially perpendicularly to the directions of movement of said carriage. As shown in FIG. 2, a support plate 23 is affixed to the support arm 18 at the other end 24 of said support arm by any suitable means such as, for example, one or more bolts 25 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a stock tensioning device is affixed to the support plate 23 for adjustably tensioning the stock 11. The stock tensioning device comprises a roller arm 26 having a slot 27 formed therethrough and extending along the length thereof at one end 28 thereof. A roller arm affixing device 29 on the support plate 23 affixes the roller arm 26 to said support plate at any selected point of the slot 27 formed therethrough. The roller arm afixing device 29 thus permits roller arm 26 to 'be extended in different desired amounts from said affixing device and to be rotated to different desired positions anywhere in a plane formed by the rotation of roller arm 26 about the axis of said afiixing device. The aifixing device 29 may comprise a bolt threadedly coupled in an internally threaded aperture 31 formed in support plate 23. The bolt may have a head of large diameter or a large diameter washer 32 coaxially positioned on said bolt between its head and the roller arm 26.

A roller 3.3 is rotatably mounted at the other end 34 (FIG. 3) of the roller arm 26 and abuts the wire 11. The roller 33, due to the readily adjustable desired positioning of the roller arm 26', properly and desirably tensions the wire -11. The roller 33 may be rotatably mounted on the roller arm 26 by any suitable means such as, for example, a bolt 35.

A counterbalanced finger device is adjustably mounted on support plate 23 in spaced adjustable relation to the spool 12 and guides the wire 11 to the spool 12 without undue stress or strain on said wire, and without touching the stock already wound upon the windup object. The finger device, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, comprises a first branch member 36 pivotally mounted at one end 37 on support plate 23. A second branch member 38 extends from the one end 37 of the first branch member 36 at an angle therewith, so that, together (FIG. 4), the first and second branch members 36 and 38 comprise an angular branch assembly which is pivotally mounted on the support plate 23 at is apex area.

The first and second branch members 36 and '38 are pivotally mounted by a pivot device 39, shown in exploded. view in FIG. 4, for rotation about its pivot axis 41 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in a plane ice substantially parallel to that of the support plate 23. The pivot device 39, as shown in FIG. 4, comprises a pair of ball bearing rings 42 and 43, spaced by a bearing spacer 44- positioned between said ball bearing rings and in coaxial relation therewith. The ball bearing rings 42 and 43 and the bearing spacer 44 are coaxially positioned in aperture 45 formed through the angular branch member 36 (FIG. 4).

A bearing bushing 46 is bolted to support plate 23 by a bolt 47 which passes through aperture 48 formed through said support plate. The ball bearing rings 42 and 43 and the bearing spacer 44 are c-oaxially positioned on the bushing 46 and all these components are coaxially positioned in the aperture 45. A bolt 49 is threadedly coupled in bushing 46 with a cupped washer 51 and O ring '52 coaxially positioned on said bolt between the head of said bolt and the angular branch member 36.

The second branch member 38 has a slot 53 formed therethrough (FIGS. 2 and 3) extending along the length thereof at the end 54 of said second branch member spaced from the first branch member 36. A counterweight 55 (FIG. 2) is removably and adjustably affixed in slot 53 of the second branch member 38 by any suitable means such as, for example, a bolt 56 which is threadedly coupled in an internally threaded aperture 57 formed in said counterweight. The bolt 56 has a head of large diameter or a washer 58 of large diameter coaxially positioned thereon between the head of said bolt and the second branch member 38.

A finger member 59, shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and shown in a considerably enlarged scale in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, guides the stock 11 to the spool 12 in an area proximate to said spool. The finger member 59 is adjusably mounted on the first branch member 36 by a finger mounting arrangement for extending said finger a selected distance from said first branch member. The finger mounting arrangement comprises an externally threaded rod 61 which is threadedly coupled at one end 62 to an internally threaded aperture 63 formed in the first branch member 36, as shown in FIG. 2. Rod 61 extends toward spool 12 and is threadedly coupled at its other end 64 to a finger holder 65 in an internally threaded aperture 66 formed in said finger holder.

Finger holder 65 is readily adjusted so that it is in any axial position on the rod 61, thereby adjusting its position with respect to the spool 12. The adjustment is maintained by the positioning of a lock nut 67 on the rod 6 1 with the holder 65 in the position desired. The finger member 59 is suitably aflixed to the finger holder 65 by any suitable means such as, for example, by clamping said finger member in said finger holder, as shown in FIG. 3.

The finger member 59, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6 and 7, is of tapered configuration and has a groove 68 formed therein and extending along the length of said finger member between the ends 69 and 71 thereof. The finger member 59 guides the Wire 11 to the spool 12 via the groove 68. Groove 68 forms substantially parallel spaced convex surfaces 72 and 73 extending along the length of the finger member 59. The surfaces 72 and 73 fiare at both open ends 69 and 71 of the finger member 59 to form rounded diverging slot mouths 74 and 75 at each end of the finger member 59, thus preventing damage to or shearing of the wire 11, by eliminating sharp corners which might, if present, cause such damage or shearing.

It is within the scope of the present invention to provide a stock winding apparatus which can be used to wind wire on elements used in a bathy thermograph system, such as described in US. Patent No. 3,221,556 to Campbell et al. Thus the winding within a probe or canister may be wound with the present device.

It is further emphasized that it is within the scope of the present invention, as aforementioned, for finger member 59 to be maintained at a predetermined and/or constant distance from those portions of the wire 11 which have already been wound upon windup spool 12 during the continuation of winding operation such that there is no contact between the member 59 and the wound wire and its associated insulation, In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by proper adjustment of the tension roller 33 and/or counterweight 55, member 59 remains within /8 inch of the wound wire such that the novel means of the present invention facilitate consistent flawless operations.

Of course it is well within the scope of this invention, in another embodiment, to provide a plurality of finger members and their associated parts, as described, in order to enable the simultaneous winding of a number of spools, thereby increasing the output of each machine.

While the invention has been described by means of a specific example and in a specific embodiment, -I do not wish to be limited thereto, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a winding machine for feeding continuous flexible stock to an object and winding said stock on said object, stock tensioning means comprising a roller in the line of feed of said flexible stock, means for adjusting the position of said roller to alter selectively the direction of said line of feed, guide means for guiding said continuous flexible stock from said roller to said object, said guide means comprising counterbalanced finger means adjustably mounted in spaced relation to said object, and means for adjusting said counterbalance, whereby the spacing of said finger means from said object is accurately controlled.

2. In a winding machine for feeding continuous flexible stock to an object and winding said stock on said ob- 'ject, said winding machine including a rotatably mounted object, a carriage spaced from said object, said object and carriage being mounted for relative reciprocal rectilinear movement, guide means for guiding said continuous flexible stock to said object, said guide means comprising a support arm pivotally mounted at one end on said carriage and extending a determined distance from said carriage and substantially perpendicularly to the direction of relative movement of said carriage and object, a support plate affixed to said support arm at the other end thereof, stock tensioning means afiixed to said support plate for adjustably tensioning said stock, and counter balanced finger means adjustaibly mounted on said support plate in spaced relation to said object for guiding said stock to said object.

3. In a winding machine according to claim 2, wherein the stock tensioning means of said guide means comprises a roller arm having a slot formed therethrough extending along the length thereof at one end thereof, roller arm afiixing means on said support plate for affixing said roller arm to said support plate at any selected point of the slot formed therethrough, and a roller rotatably mounted at the other end of said roller arm for abutting and tensioning said stock.

4. In a winding machine according to claim 2, wherein the counterbalanced finger means of said guide means comprises a first branch member pivotally mounted at one end on said support plate, a second branch member extending from said one end of said first branch member at an angle therewith, said second branch member having a slot formed therethrough extending along the length thereof at the end thereof spaced from said first branch member, a counterweight removably affixed in the slot formed through said second branch member, a finger member for guiding said stock to said object in an area proximate to said object, and finger mounting means for adjustably mounting said finger member on said first branch member for extending said finger member a selected distance from said branch member.

5. In a Winding machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the finger member of the counterbalanced finger means of said guide means comprises a tapered member having a groove formed therein extending along the length between the ends thereof for guiding said stock.

6. In a winding machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the finger member of the counterbalanced finger means of said guide means comprises a tapered finger member having a groove formed therein extending along the length between the ends thereof for guiding said stock, said groove forming substantially parallel spaced convex surfaces extending along the length of said finger member and flaring at both ends of said finger member to form rounded diverging slot mouths.

7. In a ding machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stock tmioning means of said guide means comprises a roller arm having a slot for-med therethrough extending along the length thereof at one end thereof, roller arm aflixing means on said support plate for afiixing said roller arm to said support plate at any selected point of the slot References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,243,624 .5/1941 Gazet 242157.1 2,305,045 12/1942 Torrence 242-1583 2,569,342 9/1951 Scott 242-45 2,605,055 7/1952 Scott et al. 24245 NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 242-158 

